Statement on CST Report

The Community Security Trust (CST)’s Antisemitic Incidents Report 2019 is a deeply concerning read. The report records 1,805 antisemitic incidents in the UK in 2019, the highest annual total, and a seven per cent increase in antisemitic incidents from the previous year. 2019 was the fourth consecutive year in which the annual record for antisemitic incidents has been surpassed. The report details shocking examples of assault, graffiti, desecration of Jewish cemeteries, and appalling abuse—often centred around language involving the Holocaust, Israel, and the Labour Party—especially on social media. Today’s report should be a wake-up call to take antisemitism seriously. In particular we encourage faith groups to work together to counter antisemitism and hate crime and provide spaces for dialogue, learning, and shared social action. We all have to educate ourselves about the roots of antisemitism and challenge its spread so that all our communities—on the streets, online, or in our places of worship—are safe from the scourge of antisemitism.